Softwr

Automation Integration · head to head

Airbyte vs Cyclr

Airbyte logo

Airbyte

Automation Integration

The open-source ELT platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Cyclr logo

Cyclr

Automation Integration

Embedded integration platform that SaaS vendors ship inside their own product

From
$1595/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Airbyte has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Airbyte the self-managed open source Core edition has no SSO or RBAC, no multiple workspaces, no row filtering or encryption, and no monitoring integrations; Cyclr entry pricing of 1,595 US dollars a month for one connector and 100,000 API calls means small vendors will find building two or three integrations in-house genuinely cheaper, and Cyclr only pays off past a certain integration count.
  • They diverge on capability: Airbyte covers Data replication, Cyclr covers White-label integration UI.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbyte and Cyclr actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbyte and Cyclr differ
AttributeAirbyteCyclr
Starting priceFree$1595/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer month by API call volume
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb, API
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automation Integration).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Airbyte

  • Data replication
  • Schema detection
  • ELT pipelines
  • Real-time sync
  • Data transformation
  • Monitoring
  • 300+ connectors
  • Databases

Only in Cyclr

  • White-label integration UI
  • Connector library
  • Workflow builder
  • Regional hosting
  • MCP server offering
  • Usage metering
  • Templates

Both cover

  • Custom connectors

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Airbyte

  • Data integrationnot Cyclr
  • ETL operationsnot Cyclr
  • API data synchronizationnot Cyclr
  • Data warehouse populationnot Cyclr
  • Real-time data replicationnot Cyclr

Cyclr

  • A mid-market SaaS vendor losing deals because prospects ask for a CRM integration it has not builtnot Airbyte
  • A product team that would rather ship an integration marketplace this quarter than hire two engineers to maintain connectorsnot Airbyte
  • A European software company that needs its customers' integration data processed inside the EU for procurement reasonsnot Airbyte
  • A vendor whose customers each want a slightly different variation of the same integration and cannot be served by one hard-coded connectornot Airbyte

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Airbyte

  • The self-managed open source Core edition has no SSO or RBAC, no multiple workspaces, no row filtering or encryption, and no monitoring integrations
  • Sync frequency on Core is limited compared with the managed tiers, which offer 15 minute syncs
  • Support on the free tier is community and AI only; premium support requires Pro or Enterprise
  • The free Agents plan stops at 1,000 agent operations a month and pauses capacity until the next month once hit
  • Agent overages are billed per operation at $0.004 to $0.005 once past the plan allowance

Cyclr

  • Entry pricing of 1,595 US dollars a month for one connector and 100,000 API calls means small vendors will find building two or three integrations in-house genuinely cheaper, and Cyclr only pays off past a certain integration count.
  • Connectors and API calls are metered separately, so a successful integration marketplace pushes you up tiers as your customers adopt it, meaning the cost rises with usage rather than with the revenue that usage generates.
  • Custom connectors to APIs outside the library are your work to build and maintain, so the promise of not building integrations only holds for applications Cyclr already covers.
  • Debugging is harder when the integration runs in a third-party runtime, because your support team sees a failed workflow rather than an HTTP response and has to escalate to Cyclr for anything non-obvious.
  • Deep embedding creates real switching cost: your customers' live integrations run on Cyclr, so migrating later means recreating every customer workflow, which in practice means you rarely leave.

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbyte

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1,000 Agent Operations monthly
    • Single user access
    • API and MCP access
  • Individual$29/month
    • 5,000 Agent Operations monthly
    • Hourly Context Store refresh
    • Standard and AI support
  • Team$299/month
    • 10,000 Agent Operations monthly
    • Parallel workflow execution
    • Multiple users

Cyclr

$1595/month
  • PAYG$1595/month
    • 100,000 API calls included
    • 1 connector included
    • Unlimited integrations and users
  • Growth$2595/month
    • 1,000,000 API calls included
    • 10 connectors included
    • Everything in PAYG
  • Scale$7195/month
    • 5,000,000 API calls included
    • Unlimited connectors
    • Everything in Growth
  • Private Cloud$undefined/month
    • Dedicated hosting in US, UK or EU
    • Configurable processing and runtime
    • Quoted pricing

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbyte if

  • You need data replication.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want schema detection.
Airbyte review

Choose Cyclr if

  • You need white-label integration ui.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want connector library.
Cyclr review

Questions people ask

Is Airbyte or Cyclr better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbyte starts at Free and Cyclr at $1595/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbyte or Cyclr?
Airbyte has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Airbyte and $1595/month for Cyclr.
Does Airbyte or Cyclr run on more platforms?
Airbyte runs on Web, Self-hosted. Cyclr runs on Web, API.
Can I use Airbyte for free?
Yes. Airbyte has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cyclr starts at $1595/month.
What is Airbyte best used for?
Airbyte is most often used for data integration, etl operations, api data synchronization, data warehouse population. Of those, data integration and etl operations are not what Cyclr is typically brought in for.
What can Airbyte do that Cyclr cannot?
Airbyte covers Data replication, Schema detection, ELT pipelines, Real-time sync. Cyclr covers White-label integration UI, Connector library, Workflow builder, Regional hosting. Both handle Custom connectors.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Airbyte: Is Airbyte free to use?

Yes, Airbyte offers a free tier with 1,000 Agent Operations monthly, single user access, API and MCP support, and community/AI assistance.

Source
Cyclr: What does Cyclr actually cost?

Published tiers start at 1,595 US dollars per month for 100,000 API calls and one connector, rising to 7,195 for unlimited connectors and five million calls.

Airbyte: What does the Team plan include?

The Team plan costs $299/month and includes 10,000 Agent Operations monthly, parallel workflow execution, multiple users, standard and AI support, with overages charged at $0.005 per AO.

Source
Cyclr: Do my customers know they are using Cyclr?

No. The interface is white-labelled to appear as part of your product.

Airbyte: What happens if I exceed my monthly Agent Operations limit?

Overages are charged at $0.004 per AO on the Individual plan and $0.005 per AO on the Team plan, allowing you to exceed your quota as needed.

Source
Cyclr: Can I host it in the EU or UK?

Yes, on the private cloud tiers, which matters for European procurement requirements.

Airbyte: Does Airbyte offer data replication pricing?

Yes. Airbyte Data Replication starts at $10/month on the Standard plan with 600+ connectors. Pro and Enterprise plans use custom capacity-based pricing with Data Workers and dedicated support.

Source
Cyclr: What if the connector I need does not exist?

You build a custom connector using Cyclr tooling, which is work you own rather than work the platform removes.

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